Surprising Facts

At Governors State University you’re going to find a long list of “firsts” and “onlys” and other surprising facts – exactly what you’d expect from the place where big ideas live.

Here’s a sampling:

The only Illinois university set in a 100-acre sculpture park – with 27 pieces from a global community of sculptors.

The highest ranked college table tennis team in Illinois.

GSU ranks as the safest public university campus in Illinois.

The University Sustainable Garden, located southeast of GSU’s Family Development Center, includes 52 plots ranging from 35 square feet for beginners to 400 square feet for experienced gardeners. It is used for GSU students who grow their produce to sustain a Student Food Pantry, for the Family Development Center to educate young children on growing their own food, and for the university’s College of Health and Human Services, which is developing a raised, fully accessible garden.

In 1984, GSU became “Wright State University” when CBS filmed the movie “First Steps” starring Judd Hirsch on campus.

A wind turbine powers early childhood education and daycare at the GSU Family Development Center.